Recovering From Religion

This week on RfRx, Rob Palmer returns to discuss mass psychogenic illness. Have U.S. government employees in Havana and all around the world – even behind the White House gates – been attacked and injured over the past seven years by secret energy-weapons wielded by undiscovered assailants for political reasons? Have thousands of girls in their schools across Iran been poisoned this past year by their Islamic government as retribution for the mass anti-hijab protests? Did a 4-ft tall roller-skating Monkey Man with metal claws and glowing red eyes attack people throughout New Delhi causing injuries and deaths? Believe it or not, there is a connection between these seemingly unrelated headline-grabbing events. This presentation will examine a little recognized and less understood phenomenon that is likely the actual culprit in these and a myriad of similar events that have occurred throughout the world and throughout human history: Mass Psychogenic Illness. Rob Palmer is a retired aerospace engineer. He has been a spacecraft designer, spacecraft tester, computer programmer, and software systems engineer. Rob became a skeptical activist in 2016 upon joining the Guerrilla Skeptics on Wikipedia team, and in 2018 became a columnist for Skeptical Inquirer. To date he has had over 70 articles published by Skeptical Inquirer as well as in other publications, and the Wikipedia articles he’s written have garnered over 13 million pageviews. Rob writes about contemporary skeptical issues, and has interviewed individuals as diverse as Neil deGrasse Tyson, Richard Dawkins, Penn Jillette, Ann Druyan (producer and writer for the modern Cosmos series), Dave Warnock (Of Dying Out Loud), Seth Andrews (host of The Thinking Atheist podcast), John de Lancie (Star Trek’s Q), and even God - eh, Mr. Deity - himself. Rob is registered with the Center for Inquiry’s Speakers Bureau, and has given presentations for various skeptic and humanist groups and conventions, including: We Can Reason, Dragon Con, and three times at CSICon (the annual science and skepticism conference in Las Vegas). He has been interviewed about these subjects on various podcasts and YouTube shows, including The Skeptic Zone, Big Picture Science, Be Rationable, The Phil Ferguson Show, Banachek’s Brain, 502 Conversations, Point of Inquiry, The Thinking Atheist, and here for RfRx. All of Rob’s skeptical work can be found at: https://linktr.ee/thewellknownskeptic. For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org. Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org. To talk over the phone, dial: (844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada If you are in need of professional help, we can offer the Secular Therapy Project to provide options to connect with a professional therapist. All therapists have been thoroughly vetted by our organization and offer only evidence-based and non-religious treatment. Connect with them at http://www.seculartherapy.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok. Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate

This week on RfRx, Evan Clark joins us to talk about Atheist Street Pirates, local activists who track and remove illegal religious signage littering highways, streets, and neighborhoods with unwelcome and illegal street propaganda across the United States. Evan will share ideas for building and maintaining secular communities using innovative techniques rather than replicating outdated religious models. This episode of (ARR)RfRx is sponsored by the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Evan Clark is the Executive Director of Atheists United. He is a humanist entrepreneur, political consultant, and public speaker with over 14 years of experience tinkering with secular communities. Evan is also the founder and creative director of Spectrum Experience LLC, the North American Coordinator for Young Humanists International, and the California State Director for American Atheists. Previously he was Chair of the Secular Student Alliance Board of Directors, co-host of the Humanist Experience podcast, and co-founder of the Humanist Community of Ventura County. He is also an Atheist Street Pirate. For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org. Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org. To talk over the phone, dial: (844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada If you are in need of professional help, we can offer the Secular Therapy Project to provide options to connect with a professional therapist. All therapists have been thoroughly vetted by our organization and offer only evidence-based and non-religious treatment. Connect with them at http://www.seculartherapy.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok. Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate

This week on RfRx, John Gleason (Godless Engineer) joins us to talk about his deconversion from religion, dealing with shame and loss of close relationships as a result, and using his background in computer and software engineering to build an online community. John argues that “godless” is a term that signifies religion is a part of our past, a fact of which we shouldn't be ashamed. Godless Engineer is an ex-Christian who has worked to build an online community of secular skeptics that analyze apologist claims to give people the best information so they can stand up and use their voices. He focuses on the intersection of Atheism, secularism, religion, politics, history, and science. Currently creating videos and social media content to educate his audience on these topics. For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org. Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org. To talk over the phone, dial: (844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada If you need professional help, we can offer the Secular Therapy Project to provide options to connect with a professional therapist. All therapists have been thoroughly vetted by our organization and offer only evidence-based and non-religious treatment. Connect with them at http://www.seculartherapy.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok. Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate

Losing faith for a person born into the LDS church (aka the Mormons) has been compared to a death by a thousand cuts. This week on RfRx, Stephanie shares her experience leaving the LDS church. Stephanie comes from a family with roots in the early years of the church, and is one of the few members of her family who has officially removed her name from church records. Her journey from a "True Believing Mormon" to full atheist spans 35 years of small cuts and cracks to her former faith. She's relied on her sense of humor and optimism to make it through. For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org. Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org. To talk over the phone, dial: (844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada If you are in need of professional help, we can offer the Secular Therapy Project to provide options to connect with a professional therapist. All therapists have been thoroughly vetted by our organization and offer only evidence-based and non-religious treatment. Connect with them at http://www.seculartherapy.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok. Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate

After leaving religion, many people report experiencing lingering feelings of fear of hell and demonic forces from their former religious traditions. Others have found more creative ways to reinterpret the myth of Satan. For this week’s RfRx Foundation Spotlight episode, we chat with Lucien Greaves, co-founder of the Satanic Temple, about non-theistic religious expression, what religious liberty really looks like, and the Satanic Temple’s efforts to encourage benevolence and empathy, reject tyrannical authority, and oppose injustice. Bring your questions for Lucien and join us for a wicked good time! Lucien Greaves is a social activist and co-founder and spokesperson for the Satanic Temple. Lucien has been involved in varied legal efforts advocating for the acceptance of non-theistic religious exemption and privilege, secularism, and fighting against theocratic encroachments on civil liberties. The organization is best known for its ongoing legal efforts to place a Satanic monument next to 10 Commandments monuments on public grounds, and to oppose reproductive rights restrictions nationwide. Lucien has been featured on numerous national news programs and in the documentary film “Hail Satan?”. For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org. Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org. To talk over the phone, dial: (844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada If you are in need of professional help, we can offer the Secular Therapy Project to provide options to connect with a professional therapist. All therapists have been thoroughly vetted by our organization and offer only evidence-based and non-religious treatment. Connect with them at http://www.seculartherapy.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok. Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate